Spring Transportation in China: The Peak-Load Problem with Psychological Factors

Every year around the time of the Chinese New Year, hundreds of millions of people in China return to their hometowns, placing huge pressure on the transportation infrastructure. However, a link between the theoretical model and the Chinese context is missing. This paper provides an in-depth look at the capacity shortage of transportation during Spring Transportation in China. I use a discrete choice model to determine the travel decision mechanism for the potential traveler and extend this model from a single traveler to multiple heterogeneous travelers based on travel distances and the emotional amenity of family reunions.